I actually found the Ti to sound quite different to my other FA-003 drivers. A definite improvement. Not sure about soundstaging in particular though. Bass response and clarity is where i noticed it most.Edited by mrbigsby - 3/3/13 at 12:58pm

Great review! I'm still looking for a closed can to settle on, this seems like an excellent prospect.

I wonder how it compares to the FA003/HM5 as far as balance/neutrality. Hated the HM5's echoey soundstage.

I too prefer the HP100s to my FA003s. It's no contest for me really. The FA003 come off as boomy and cavernous while the HP100s have some of the best bass I have ever heard... ever. All the while retaining fantastic detail retrieval and very satisfying mids.

For those who don't like it broken down into highs, mids and lows; the HP100s are some of the most coherent, balanced headphones I have ever heard. They are super comfortable to boot and cost $200. These things even put the Yahama Pro500s to shame when I briefly had them.

I game with them, I listen to music with them. They handle everything just about perfectly for me.

*edit* - Oh and I prefer the HP100s to both A900Xs and K550s as well. The A900Xs, which do sound pretty great gave me comfort issues and still couldn't quite match the refinement of the HP100s. The K550s came off as thin and lacking bass unless I had an airtight seal, which was hard to achieve.

Still the HP100s prevail. They sit on my desk and watch pair after pair of headphones arrive only to shortly leave because none of them can quite match the HP100s.

Fantastic headphones. I had issues with ear-driver contact, though. I would have kept them if it weren't for that issue. My A900Xs may have a slightly wonkier fit, but at least my ears don't touch the drivers.

I too prefer the HP100s to my FA003s. It's no contest for me really. The FA003 come off as boomy and cavernous while the HP100s have some of the best bass I have ever heard... ever. All the while retaining fantastic detail retrieval and very satisfying mids.

For those who don't like it broken down into highs, mids and lows; the HP100s are some of the most coherent, balanced headphones I have ever heard. They are super comfortable to boot and cost $200. These things even put the Yahama Pro500s to shame when I briefly had them.

I game with them, I listen to music with them. They handle everything just about perfectly for me.

*edit* - Oh and I prefer the HP100s to both A900Xs and K550s as well. The A900Xs, which do sound pretty great gave me comfort issues and still couldn't quite match the refinement of the HP100s. The K550s came off as thin and lacking bass unless I had an airtight seal, which was hard to achieve.

Still the HP100s prevail. They sit on my desk and watch pair after pair of headphones arrive only to shortly leave because none of them can quite match the HP100s.

Thanks for the comments and comparisons! I can relate to the A900X, K550 and (HM5).

These are really starting to sound like "my" headphone. I thought the MDR-1R was close after a drastic overhaul in the EQ, but I'd prefer the bare-bones sound to be already where I want it. The FA003 / HM5 did a pretty good job at keeping the sound somewhat neutral, but as I mentioned, the soundstage just killed it for me. Not really a huge fan of it's gigantic earcups either. And it's interesting you prefer the HP100 to the FA003 by such a large margin. That gets my hopes up... that I may have finally found a closed headphone that is pretty flat across the board.

Do those shiny cups scratch easily? Are the earpads replaceable/removable?

pads remove and go back on easily and cleanly. My cups havent scratched at all. I wouldnt say these are completely flat, as they have a bit of a bass spike. Dont let any descriptions get in your way, try them for your self- they are extremely impressive and satisfying. Im confident you will love them!